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What is the difference between insect and ant?

insect | ant |

As nouns the difference between insect and ant

is that insect is an arthropod in the class Insecta, characterized by six legs, up to four wings, and a chitinous exoskeleton while ant is any of various insects in the family Formicidae in the order Hymenoptera, typically living in large colonies composed almost entirely of flightless females.

As a verb ant is

to rub insects, especially ants, on one's body, perhaps to control parasites or clean feathers.

As a proper noun Ant is

a diminutive of the male given name Anthony.

insect

English

{{ picdic , image=Insect anatomy diagram.svg , detail1= A=head B=thorax C=abdomen
1=antenna 2=lower ocelli 3=upper ocelli 4=compound eye 5=brain 6=prothorax 7=dorsal artery 8=tracheal tubes 9=mesothorax 10=metathorax 11=first wing 12=second wing 13=midgut (stomach) 14=heart 15=ovary 16=hindgut 17=anus 18=vagina 19=nerve chord 20=Malpighian tubes 21=pillow 22=claws 23=tarsus 24=tibia 25=femur 26=trochanter 27=foregut 28=thoracic ganglion 29=coxa 30=salivary gland 31=subesophageal ganglion 32=mouthparts , detail3= }}

Noun

(en noun)
  • An arthropod in the class Insecta, characterized by six legs, up to four wings, and a chitinous exoskeleton.
  • * {{quote-magazine, year=2013, month=May-June, author= William E. Conner
  • , title= An Acoustic Arms Race , volume=101, issue=3, page=206-7, magazine=(American Scientist) , passage=Nonetheless, some insect prey take advantage of clutter by hiding in it. Earless ghost swift moths become “invisible” to echolocating bats by forming mating clusters close (less than half a meter) above vegetation and effectively blending into the clutter of echoes that the bat receives from the leaves and stems around them.}}
  • (colloquial) Any small arthropod similar to an insect including spiders, centipedes, millipedes, etc
  • A contemptible or powerless person.
  • Synonyms

    * bug (Colloquial 1,2)

    See also

    * arachnid * arthropod * beetle * bug * chafer * coleopter * entomology * larva * worm

    Anagrams

    * * * ----

    ant

    English

    (wikipedia ant)

    Alternative forms

    * ante, ampte

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • Any of various insects in the family Formicidae in the order Hymenoptera, typically living in large colonies composed almost entirely of flightless females.
  • * {{quote-magazine, date=2013-07-26, author= Nick Miroff
  • , volume=189, issue=7, page=32, magazine=(The Guardian Weekly) , title= Mexico gets a taste for eating insects […] , passage=The San Juan market is Mexico City's most famous deli of exotic meats, where an adventurous shopper can hunt down hard-to-find critters […]. But the priciest items in the market aren't the armadillo steaks or even the bluefin tuna. That would be the frozen chicatanas – giant winged ants – at around $500 a kilo.}}
  • (label) A Web spider.
  • Synonyms

    * (insect) emmet (archaic), pismire (archaic)

    Hyponyms

    * (insect in Formicidae) army ant, black garden ant, bull ant, carpenter ant, fire ant, garden ant, honey-pot ant, leafcutter ant, pharaoh ant, piss ant, red ant, sauba ant, thief ant, wood ant

    Derived terms

    * antbear * ant beetle * antbird * ant cap * anteater * anthill * anting * antlike * antlion * antly * the ant's pants * ants in one's pants * antshrike * velvet ant * white ant

    See also

    * ant- (prefix ) * -ant (suffix ) * * army * bike * colony * nest *

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • (ornithology) To rub insects, especially , on one's body, perhaps to control parasites or clean feathers.
  • * {{quote-journal, date = 1974
  • , coauthors = Potter, Eloise and Hauser, Doris , title = Relationship of anting and sunbathing to molting in wild birds , journal = The Auk , volume = 91 , url = http://elibrary.unm.edu/sora/Auk/v091n03/p0537-p0563.pdf , page = 538 , passage = Wild birds tend to ant and sunbathe most frequently during periods of high humidity, particularly right after heavy or prolonged rainfall in summer. }}

    Anagrams

    * ----